Start (and keep) your mindfulness practice going
Mindfulness is everywhere in the news these days. It’s all over the place and you can’t seem to attend even the driest of corporate strategy planning sessions without hearing about it.
We all know the value of mindfulness practice. It can lower blood pressure, decrease stress and increase happiness. It can make us more productive, more patient, more at ease.
So why don’t we just sit on our backsides and get on with it? I know, I know. We don’t have the time. But the thing is, a mindfulness practice doesn’t just require time. Here’s what we really need to get (and keep) our mindfulness practice going.
Commit to Sit
Yes, I know. Commitment is a scary word. But you’re reading this article, aren’t you? Mindfulness is important to you. You want to cultivate more of it into your life.
So how do we do this?
As Lao Tzu said: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Our first step is making the promise to sit. Not just once. Not just twice. But every day. This may be daunting at first. It may even be a little frightening. But, trust me. You can do it!
So say this with me:
“I promise to make my mindfulness practice a central part of my life. I will stick with it no matter what comes up.”
Set The Motivation
Many times we’re going to want to challenge the promise we’ve made to sticking with our mindfulness practice. We’re going to try to bend the rules.
“I know I promised myself to sit everyday but my mother-in-law is coming for a visit and the kids need a ride from school because it’s a half day and I’ve got to get my origami finished…”
There will always be a thousand reasons to skip “just this once”. This is where a solid motivation can help.
Why are we working on mindfulness in the first place?
Yes, we sit to bring happiness and serenity into our own lives. But if we can widen the scope of our purpose to include others, then we have a better chance of sticking with it. Think about how our mindfulness practice can also benefit our family, friends and neighbours. If we work at it steadily, we will be able to cultivate more patience, kindness and understanding towards everyone we meet. If we know that we can do even this little bit to bring peace, calm and sanity into the world, then we will be more motivated to sit.
Create the Space
So you’ve decided to start a mindfulness practice. Congratulations! You want to succeed right? The single best way to do this is to do your practice at the same time and in the same place everyday. The time is up to you. For me, I like to practise early in the morning. It sets the tone for the day and I find that I’m less likely to be distracted as the world gets going.
Once you’ve set the time, create the space. Keep your cushion or chair in one place. Make an altar if you like. Make it beautiful with reminders of what it is you’re doing in that space. It could be a statue of the Buddha, beautiful flower arrangements, candles or anything at all that changes the space into one that is sacred for you.
If you have a separate room for this, great. If not, a corner of your bedroom or living room will do just fine. The main thing is to have a space set aside to act as an anchor for your practice.
“Patience Padawan”
Once you’ve got a steady mindfulness practice going, don’t forget to treat yourself with patience and respect. Sometimes your mindfulness practice is going to be great. Sometimes not so great. Don’t expect anything out of it. The results and benefits come over time. Usually it takes many years to see anything even resembling results.
Don’t worry. We worry too much as it is. Just make it a part of your life. Stick with it. And remember, this is your time to be open, spacious and free.
Integrate
Mindfulness must first be grounded on the cushion (or the chair or whatever spot works best for you). But once we’ve committed, motivated and stuck to it we can then begin to bring mindfulness into our daily lives. Remind yourself to be mindful while you’re waiting at the stoplight, standing in line at the grocery store or even when listening to a co-worker complain about his workload.
Allow yourself to simply be aware while you’re eating, walking, watching television (or the sunset), jogging, playing or just taking a shower.
Don’t judge. Don’t evaluate Don’t worry. Just be.
I hope these tips help you in keeping your mindfulness practice going.
Experiment. Explore. Play. And if you get good results (or bad), please don’t hesitate to share what you learn!
Written by Chris Lemig
Chris is the creator and author of the website and book The Narrow Way — A memoir of coming out, getting clean and finding Buddha.
Image source: Shutterstock
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